Lot 17
  • 17

Nachum Gutman

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Nachum Gutman
  • Young Woman in the Orchard
  • signed in Hebrew and dated 32 (lower left)
  • oil on board
  • 17 3/4 by 14 1/2 in.
  • 45 by 37 cm
  • Painted in 1932.

Provenance

Shulamit Gallery, Tel Aviv
Sale: Christie’s, Tel Aviv, September 30, 1996, lot 58
Golconda Fine Arts, Ltd., Tel Aviv
Acquired from the above

Condition

Oil on canvas. Surface in generally good condition, some gilding from the frame visible on canvas at extreme upper and left edge. One horizontal abrasion visible in the tree in the upper left corner. Some minor areas of loss around the figure's hand and near the face. A sketch of flowers is visible on the verso. Under UV light; some scattered inpainting visible, primarily along upper edge and in the corners.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Nachum Gutman, born in 1898 in what was part of the Russian empire, immigrated with his family at the age of seven to Eretz Israel, where he was able to make a name for himself as an acclaimed artist, illustrator and writer. Landing in Jaffa and years of living in Neve Tzedek where his family settled, provided Gutman with ample subject matter for his charming paintings of his new, exotic surroundings. In the present work, there is a seamless combination of the naïve style Gutman developed - much influenced by his art studies at Bezalel and in Europe, with a certain reverence towards Rousseau and Dufy – and his personal immigrant experience, documenting the daily life in the people who live and work the land in his new home.

After returning to Eretz Israel in 1926 after pursuing his art studies in Europe, Gutman painted many such works, creating a broad swath of characters from farm girls in orchards to shepherds in landscapes and carriage drivers in Jaffa, capturing a fascinating snapshot of the middle-eastern ambiance of the time. Here, the blazing Mediterranean light of Gutman’s earlier canvases has settled into a glowing late-afternoon light, with deep shadows dividing the subject’s face into a profile and frontal portrait at once.

On the reverse, there is a painted study of a vase of flowers.